For most Sub-Saharan African countries, the deregulation of formal seed systems in the early 1990s, in principle, ended state-owned monopolies in seed production, marketing, and distribution. In the last decade, significant investments have been made to liberalize seed sectors, resulting in increased participation of private seed. However, the transition towards competitive seed systems has been slow due to weak enabling environments. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the performance of the formal seed sector in Africa. Utilizing data collected from pilot studies, this paper reports key findings from The African Seed Access Index (TASAI). TASAI seeks to promote the creation and maintenance of enabling environments that will accelerate the development of competitive seed systems serving smallholder farmers. Sixteen key indicators under the five categories – Research and Development, Industry Competitiveness, Seed Policy and Regulations, Institutional Support and Service to Smallholder Farmers – are monitored and compared across African countries. Results from the four pilot countries (Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Zimbabwe) reveal uneven—though in many places promising—progress towards competitive seed sectors that can supply famers with a wider menu of seed options.